Xing Qiyi () was a Chinese organic chemist who contributed to the total synthesis of bovine

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism ...

, Xing is still well-known nowadays in China as the main editor of a highly-influential organic chemistry textbook. He was a member of

China Democratic League The China Democratic League (CDL) is one of the eight legally recognized minor political parties in the People's Republic of China under the Chinese Communist Party's United Front. The CDL was originally founded in 1941 as an umbrella coalition ...

since 1952.

Early life and education

Xing received Chinese traditional private education in his childhood. In 1933, he graduated from Fu Jen Catholic University with a diploma in Chemistry. Xing did his postgraduate work at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign under Roger Adams's guidance and obtained a doctorate degree in 1936. Later he went to University of Munich, conducting research on bufotoxins at Wieland's laboratory.

Career

In 1937, Xing returned to China. He moved to Kunming since eastern China was occupied by Japanese invaders. There, he spent some efforts on the refining of

Quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...

. Then Xing joined the New Fourth Army as a teacher in its military medical school. Moreover, he assisted the army to product medicine. In 1946, Xing went back to Beijing and accepted an appointment as a professor at

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charte ...

. In 1950s, Xing designed a new method to synthesize the

chloramphenicol Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes use as an eye ointment to treat conjunctivitis. By mouth or by injection into a vein, it is used to treat meningitis, plague, chole ...

. During 1964–65, Xing participated in the total synthesis of bovine insulin project, co-operating with Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences. In 1980, Xing was elected as an academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

. During 1981–87, Xing focused on the activation methods for the carboxyl group in the peptide synthesis, and developed related chemical reagents.

Personal life

Xing enjoyed collecting crafts relevant the tortoise. Xing's father Duan () was a member of

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed se ...

in the Late Qing dynasty, he once studied in Japan and used to be an officer at the

Beiyang government The Beiyang government (), officially the Republic of China (), sometimes spelled Peiyang Government, refers to the government of the Republic of China which sat in its capital Peking (Beijing) between 1912 and 1928. It was internationally ...

. Xing's mother, Zhang Xian (), was a housewife. Xing and his wife Qian Cunrou (), a microbiologist, had two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xing, Qiyi 1911 births 2002 deaths Chemists from Tianjin Educators from Tianjin Catholic University of Peking alumni Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Organic chemists Academic staff of Peking University